River Dance, Jack
by AVeryMerryUnbirthdayToMe
Summary: All it takes is one dance for Jack to know that his heart has been stolen.


**Authors note: I'm back! I distinctively remember Clarissa mentioning something about Jack being able to River Dance, and that scene caught me so off guard that I had to rewind the TV and laugh at it. So I wanted to include Jack's dancing in a fanfic! This is very Jack/Nikki because I actually really like that pairing. Enjoy! :)**

Jack rested his bag and cappuccino on his desk, and decided to ignore the eyes following him and the giggling that erupted periodically. It was too early in the morning, he had barely taken a sip of his drink yet and he could already tell that it was going to be a rough day. So, he was definitely going to ignore the laughing. That was until the laughter got louder. And louder. And louder and-

"What?" He finally asked, turning to face the two women. Both were leaning with their arms on a desk, Clarissa in her wheelchair and Dr Alexander in her comfy computer chair. Nikki tried to open her mouth to reply, but laughter bubbled up inside her before she could even begin. Her eyes scrunched up in an adorable way (not that Jack had noticed or anything) and she rested her head on her arms, the laughter finally having won her over.

"What?" It was almost a beg this time. Jack had spent a good five years in a comprehensive school; when girls were secretly giggling at you, it was usually not a good sign. He looked at Clarissa pleadingly but she simply shook her head, a knowing grin settling on her face. She knew something, alright.

Nikki tried again, taking a deep breathe before starting an incomprehensible sentence broken up by giggles. There was only one part that was understandable.

"-river dance, Jack-"

Oh no.

"You didn't." He looked at Clarissa, who avoided his eyes by studying her nails extensively (but still with the same shit-eating grin on her face). She wouldn't dare.

"I did. Micheline stars, Jack."

So it was payback; Chicken nuggets from Jack's freezer was apparently not an acceptable substitute for steak at a decent restaurant (and if Jack was being honest with himself, he could see why). Well played Clarissa, he thought to himself as he returned his gaze back to Nikki, there was no doubt that deserved it. He made a mental note to never cross her again.

Nikki tried several times to look at him, and each time ended with her hiding her face back into her arms. The mental image of Jack- this big strong cage fighter with an attitude- river dancing was hysterical. However, what would be even better would be if...

"Jack?" Her voice was an octave higher than usual as she focused on maintaining a straight face long enough for her to make a request, "river dance for us?"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Jack!" She whined, dragging out his name as she started to get impatient. She looked imploringly into his eyes but there was still a faint smile on her lips as though she would burst into laughter at any second.

"Yeah, come on Jack!"

"Not you, too," Jack pointed a finger at Clarissa. It was her big mouth that had got him into this mess to begin with, and he was starting to be unable to see a way out of it that didn't involve him dancing.

"Just a little one?"

There was a pause.

"...Fine." Jack reluctantly gave in with a sigh. There was no way that Nikki was going to let it go until he danced; she was stubborn like that.

Nikki's eyes lit up with something akin to surprise that Jack had actually agreed to perform, and anticipation. He gave a shake of his head as though he himself was surprised at what he was about to do. After double checking he was as far away from the tables as he needed to be in order to not jump into them, he flicked through various routines in his mind. None were too difficult; Clarissa loved to persuade him to dance therefore most of the routines had been performed well within the past few years (even if only to an audience of one). Somehow, his friend, the one half of 'Clarissa & Jack', his conscience, had managed to convince him many times in the past to dance, normally in the exchange for lab results or other information.

Nikki, on the other hand, only needed to convince him with those big brown eyes and- and Jesus Christ, he was in trouble.

She was watching him now, with baited breath as though she was either expecting this to be the most astounding thing she's ever seen or the worst thing she's ever seen. With a final surge of courage, he began.

Dancing without music was relatively difficult, but on the positive side it also meant that Nikki and Clarissa didn't know where he missed a step or fumbled (thank god because they would never let him live it down). Jack had opted for a short routine, the shortest he could remember, and it was over within a few minutes.

He was met by applause from his two colleagues as he give a small bow, "Thank you, thank you, and I will never ever be doing that again."

He almost missed Nikki's small pout of mock disappointment.

"It was great," Clarissa objected, "I don't see why you hate doing it."

"An Irish dancing Forensic Scientist doesn't have a great ring to it." He replied sarcastically. That, and the lads at the gym would be merciless if they ever found out.

"It's not as bad as you make it out to be. It's not that uncommon either; Nikki knows how to ballroom dance."

Apparently Clarissa was keeping no secrets today.

The words settled thick in the air as a smile crept up slowly on Jack's face. Oh, how the tables had turned! Nikki knew, even without looking at her colleague, that she was in trouble.

"Oh really?" He commented in a mocking tone before turning to her, "well come on, Nikki. Let's see it then."

"Sorry, I don't think I can remember it." She prayed he would buy her lie. The truth was: of course she remembered it. You don't spend twelve years in a boarding school learning mandatory ballroom lessons just to forget it several decades later. No, it was permanently ingrained it her mind, no matter how hard she tried to forget.

Somehow (unfortunately) Jack could tell she was lying, "come on!"

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

"Pretty please?" He would keep on badgering her until she gave in, he was determined about that.

"No."

"It's only fair."

She paused, realising that he had made a very good point that she couldn't just ignore, "... Fine. Come here then." She moved from her chair and into the clear area where Jack was standing .

Jack gave a little fist pump in celebration as he turned to face her. Nikki couldn't help but smile at the dorky little grin on his face.

What an idiot.

"Right place your hand here, and your other hand here. Relax; you're dancing, not fighting someone."

He followed her instructions, his hand hesitating a moment before it rested on her waist, the feeling of her cotton blouse underneath his fingertips. Nikki's hand was resting on his shoulder, while both of their remaining hands were clasped gently.

"Right, so you move on counts of 4, okay?"

"Yes sir!" He replied cheekily, earning another smile. Feeling her breathe on his skin as she talked only highlighted how close they were to one another now. He made a resolution to ignore this lack of space and rather focus on the dancing instead.

"One."

But he couldn't quite ignore the fact that step closer and their bodies would be pressed together (not that Jack would be complaining). That wasn't the only distracting thing; the scent of Nikki was currently also clouding his brain. She wore that Vanilla scented perfume, the one Clarissa had brought her for Christmas the previous year and the one that always reminded Jack of vanilla ice creams on a summer day.

Wait, what?

"Two."

This was Nikki, for god sake! Why was he acting like a teenage girl?

"Three."

Oh no.

"Four."

They turned smoothly, and Jack found that he could see Clarissa now (even if it was over the top of Nikki's head, but let's be honest: it wasn't too difficult to see over the top of her head, given how short she was).

And as soon as he saw her, he instantly regretted it.

She had a look on her face. A knowing look. It was an amused smile, a half raised eyebrow and a questioning tilt of the head. Almost as if she was suggesting something, almost as if she knew-

It wouldn't surprise him if she did know. Hell, he wasn't so sure about his feelings himself, but if anyone was certain, it would be Clarissa. It was a given; she was freakishly omnipresent .Jack was certain that she was was God, psychic or something at least.

She could read him as easily as she read a book, and Jack could only wonder at what was written across his face at the moment. No doubt she would bring it up later, and that conversation was something he wanted to avoid completely. Thinking about someone in that 'way' inside your head was one thing, but admitting it to someone else was another thing entirely.

No, focus on the dancing.

The dancing duo completed several more turns, and by the end Jack felt as though he was really getting the hang of it.

"So does this mean next time you go to one of those charity ball things, I can come too?" He suggested with a wink, remembering how Nikki looked in that dress and how it sent his pulse racing.

Stop it.

"Hmmmm... We'll see." Her tone matched his as she deflected his comment.

"Maybe we can river dance together?"

"Jack Hodgeson, is that a euphemism?" Nikki asked in mock shock.

"Don't be so crude, Dr Alexander." He teased lightly, causing a small smile to appear on her face.

God, he loved her smile.

Stop.

They weren't moving anymore, much to Jack's surprise. They must have stopped at some point during their banter. He didn't think Nikki had even noticed; she was looking at him, her chocolate eyes matching his blue ones. Her hand had moved from its rigidly set place on his shoulders closer to his neck. The delicate soft fingers were touching his hair, gently and slowly running through it absentmindedly.

Jack wanted nothing more than to kiss her in that moment.

"Jack... I-"

"Nikki, we've got a body."

And then that moment was ruined. Nikki had stepped out of his grasp too soon for Jack's liking. Far too soon. She was gone quicker than he could say 'I think I quite like you, Dr Alexander'. She had nodded at Thomas before hastily circling by her desk to grab a few things and then she was gone, leaving Jack with the ghost of her touch (and internal thoughts about how much he wanted to murder Thomas for his shit sense of timing).

He watched them leave and then it was silent for several minutes, and Jack was just waiting for it.

"So... Nikki, huh?" And there it was. Clarissa knew. Clarissa always knew.

"Stop it."

He needed something -anything- to keep his mind away from pretty blonde doctors with smart heads and smarter mouths. Especially a particular one that had snuck up on him and stolen his heart without realising it.


End file.
